Standard zippers used on clothing, personal articles such as backpacks, shoulder bags, luggage and other things have relatively small handles or tabs by which the zipper is operated for closing (zipping) or opening (unzipping). Even on a large zipper, such as those found on suitcases, the handle or tab can be relatively small and difficult to grasp securely. Frequently made of metal, the handle is often smooth and can be somewhat slippery. Zippers are often concealed, with fabric overlapping the zipper along each side of the zipper. In such arrangements, the handle can be difficult to locate and dislodge from beneath the fabric edges. In heavily packed articles, tension on the zipper can make it difficult to operate, and the small surface of the handle can be inadequate to grip securely for operating the zipper.
It is known to provide zipper pullers of various types attached to the zipper handle to provide a larger, more easily grasped article by which to operate the zipper. The zipper handle commonly has a hole near the end thereof, and known configurations of zipper pullers are attached by looping, tying or otherwise securing the puller through the hole in the handle. A pliable portion along with a knob, knot or other enlargement provides a more readily graspable article by which the zipper can be operated.
In a simple form, a zipper puller may be an elongated piece of nylon or other fabric tied or looped through the hole in the zipper handle. While fabric secured in this manner provides a longer structure than the zipper handle alone by which to grasp and operate the zipper, the smooth, thin fabric can sometimes be difficult to grasp as well. More advantageously, a zipper puller has an enlarged or bulbous end or portion more easily grasped than the relatively thin zipper handle. Known zipper pullers of this type have been two piece articles, including a string, cord or the like serving as a tether between the zipper handle and a larger body end piece attached to the tether. While two-piece zipper pullers of this type have performed somewhat adequately for the purpose intended, the two-piece zipper puller can be costly to manufacture and install. Further, the string, cord or other tether portion can stretch or otherwise change, or even break, making the zipper puller nonfunctional, even if not lost completely. More elastic tethers have been used but tend to act more like a rubber band, being too springy to transmit the load from the user to the zipper handle.
It is known that a body of thermoplastic elastomer can be processed to align the crystalline structure thereof to a permanently deformed thinner shape having increased flexibility while maintaining the strength of a thicker, more robust and less flexible body. The process has been referred to as “orienting” and can be found described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,441,758 and United States Patent Application Publication 2006/0267258; which are incorporated herein by reference.